An Indonesian engineer dispatched to Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) to participate in the development of the Korean fighter aircraft (KF-21) was caught trying to leak KF-21 technical data.

According to the DAPA on the 2nd, Indonesian engineers were caught last month trying to take KF-21-related technical data into a portable storage device (USB) and take it out of the company.

It is reported that the data obtained by Indonesian engineers includes radar and other avionics equipment, test flight technology, and the development process.

The investigation team consisting of the National Intelligence Service and counterintelligence agents is said to be verifying the information they attempted to leak. It is known that Indonesian engineers are currently banned from leaving the country.

In January 2016, Indonesia decided to cover 20% of the KF-21 development cost, or approximately 1.7 trillion won, until June 2026, in exchange for transferring one prototype and various technical data, and to produce 48 fighters locally in Indonesia. did.

However, due to reasons such as lack of budget, the project contribution has not been paid properly, and 1.0561 trillion won out of 1.3344 trillion won is unpaid.

Indonesia recently signed contracts to purchase other fighter jets in addition to the KF-21, raising doubts about its willingness to develop jointly. Indonesia signed a contract to purchase 42 French ‘Rafale’ fighter jets in February 2022, and in June last year, it agreed to purchase 12 used French ‘Mirage 2000-5’ fighter jets from Qatar for about 1 trillion won.

Regarding Indonesia’s attitude in October of last year, Defense Acquisition Program Administration Director Eom Dong-hwan said, “In order to end (the project) normally, the contribution must be paid,” and “Until the end of October, (we) will not be able to trust it for the three-year period from 2023 to 2025.” He explained that he conveyed his position to the Indonesian government, saying, “If we do not submit a plan that is feasible and feasible, we will have no choice but to reexamine the entire project from scratch.”

Accordingly, the Director of Technology and Defense of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense said at a foreign policy community workshop co-hosted with the Korea Foundation, “Although the government budget allocation for weapons purchases was limited, resulting in large arrears, the promise to Korea still remains a priority. “We will pay approximately 100 billion won, which is 10% of the outstanding amount, this year and continue joint development,” he said.